Insole construction



July 22, 1941. J. J. WHITE EIAL 2,249,995

INSOLE CONSTRUCTION- Filed 061:. 28, 1939 P 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E4 lo QMINIWW A Milli ZZTZZ EHZUPE L/OHN (fox/ 11 WH/ns /7/1/?040 M HORSHE/M J. J. WHITE ETAL INSOLE CONSTRUCTION July 22, 1941.

Filed Oct. 28; 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HZ EHZUPE L/OHN (/OSEPH WHITE HAROLD 'MflORJHE/M Patented July 22, 1941 UN-WE HNSGLE CONSTRUCTION John Joseph White, Chicago, and Harold M. Florsheim, Highland Park, Ill., assignors to The Florsheim Shoe Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application October 28, 1939, Serial No. 301,704

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to a novel insole construction. More particularly the invention pertains to a laminated marginally channelled insole having a composite depending lip adapted for attachment to an upper and to a welt strip by sewing.

In making welted shoes it has heretofore been customary to prepare flat insoles having marginal portions specially adapted for being stitched onto uppers and welt strips. Such insoles have been fashioned, for instance, with inner channels extending along and spaced from their edge faces, or the bottom faces of the insoles have been flanged to form therewith integral ridges. To permit such adaptations, the marginal portions of thus modified insoles must be fairly thick and consequently of but limited flexibility.

The present invention departs radically from the prior art by providing a novel laminated insole comprising an insole proper and a sheetlike member or cover extending over the upper broad face of said insole proper and overhanging the edges thereof. The edge faces of the insole proper are channelled inwardly only, the marginal portions of said insole proper thus being split to form a lip and a feather. The lip is turned back, and the overhanging marginal portions of the cover are folded back over the edges of the insole proper and attached to the turned back lip, to form, jointly with the latter, a composite depending marginal lip for said insole.

A sheet-like member or backing covering the lower broad face of the insole may also be provided. Such a backing is suitably attached to the insole prior to the channelling of the latter. The marginal portions of this backing preferably extend to the edges of the insole proper and are turned back together with the lip of the insole proper after channelling, to form, jointly with said lip and with the overhanging marginal portions of the cover, a triply laminated depending marginal lip for said insole.

The present invention further comprises an optional more or less complete removal of the feather formed by channeling the edge faces of the insole proper. Portions of the feather may suitably be cut on as soon as the lip has been turned back, prior to the attachment of the cover. This removal of the feather eliminates more or less completely the otherwise formed feather edge.

The insole proper of an insole according to the present invention can be made quite thin. Yet its composite depending marginal lip is not only strong but also firmly anchored to the lower broad face of the insole proper along a line coinciding roughly with the inner limit of the channelling. Thus light flexible insoles may be fashioned which are easily stitched to uppers and welt strips to fabricate strong welted shoes distinguished by a, simplified assembled relationship between insoles, uppers and outsoles.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide thin flexible insoles made capable of firm attachment to uppers by sewing through a depending marginal lip.

Another object of this invention is to provide laminated channelled insoles having composite depending marginal lips.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an insole comprising a marginally split insole proper and an overhanging cover, the lower marginal portions of said insole proper being turned back and the overhanging portions of said cover being folded back and attached to said turned-back insole portion, to form, jointly with the latter, a composite depending marginal lip for said insole.

A further object of. this invention is to provide methods of fabricating insoles embodying the hereinabove disclosed novel constructions.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.

Illustrative examples of specific embodiments of the hereinabove disclosed principles are described in detail hereinbelow with reference to the appended drawings, in which Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of an insole according to the present invention in an initial stage of fabrication.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of the insole shown in Figure 1 in a more advanced stage of fabrication.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the insole shown in Figures 1 and 2 in finished condition. Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line V--V of Figure 3.

. insole.

Figure 9 is a transverse vertical sectional view through another insole according to this invention.

In Figures 1 and 4 the reference numeral Ill indicates generally an insole according to this invention in an initial state of fabrication. Said insole It] comprises an insole proper II and a thereto cemented duck backing 12 covering the lower broad face of the insole proper with the exception of the rear part of the heel portion and, optionally, with the further exception of an elongated space [3 extending longitudinally through the center of the front portion of the The backing 12 may be slashed, for instance, transversely, at the region of the ball of the foot. These slashes, indicated by the reference numeral l4, may extend into and through the insole proper.

The front and shank portions of the insole proper H are channelled inwardly, to form a feather l and a lip 16. The latter, together with the thereto cemented marginal portion of the backing l2,.is turned back. The linedefining the innermost extension of the channelling is indicated by the reference numeral 11.

In Figure 2 the reference numeral 20 indicates generally the insole shown in Figures 1 and 4 in a more advanced stage of fabrication. As

shown, the feather l5 has been cut away from the front part of the insole, thereby establishing a new edge for the front part of the insole roughly coinciding with the line H. A leather cover having marginal portions 25 projecting beyond the edges of the front and shank portions of the insole has been cemented onto the entire upper broad face of the insole proper with the exception of the heel portion.

In Figures 3, 5 and 6 the reference numeral 30 indicates generally the insole shown in Figures ,l, 2 and 4, in finished condition.

The insole 3!! comprises the insole proper H, duck'backing l2 and leather cover 3!. The marginal portions of the insole proper, with exception of the heel portion, have been split by channelling extending inwardly from the edge faces to the line If, to form the feather l5 and the composite lip it. The latter has been turned back. At the front part of the insole the feather l5 has been cut away. The marginal portions 2| of the cover 31 have been folded back over the edges of the insole proper and cemented onto the turned back lip it. The composite lip 32 thus formed depends from the insole along the line ll, i. e. from the edge of the front part of theinsole and from points on the shank portion of the insole spaced from the edges thereof. The feather portion l5 retainedin'the shank portion of the insole thus defines a feather edge 33 covered on top, bottom and edge by the leather cover 3!.

The shank portion of the lip 32 is notched, as at 34.

In Figures 7 and 8 thereference numeral Mi indicates generally a shoe comprising the finished insole shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6.

As shown, marginal portions of a doubly lined upper 43 are interposed between the lip 32 and a welt strip 42, and the three structures are stitched together with thread 43. An outer sole :34 is then stitched onto the welt strip 42 with thread 45, filling material 46 being interposed between the insole 30 and the outsole M. .The bottom face of the outsole 44 is protected by a liner- .41. f f

'The structural relationship effected. in the shank portion by the provision of the feather edge is clearly shown in Figure '7. The somewhat different assembled relationship in the front part of the shoe in the absence of a feather edge is illustrated by Figure 8.

In Figure 9 the reference numeral 50 indicates generally another insole-according to the principles of this invention differing from the insole illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 6 by the absence of a backing. Said insole 50 comprises an insole proper 5| marginally split into a feather 52 and a lip 53 together with a leather cover 54 having overhanging marginal portions 55. The lip 53 is turned back and the overhanging marginal portions 55 of the leather cover are folded back over the feather 52 and cemented to the turned back lip 53 to form a composite depending marginal lip 55 defining a feather edge 51.

The insole 56 may be assembled with an upper, outsole and welt strip to form a shoe similarly to the insole 39.

Besides the hereinabove described illustrative examples, many other embodiments of the .prin,-- ciples of the present invention are possible. The backing, if present, may be constructed of other materials than duck, for instance, other fabrics, or leather. The cover may be fashioned with fabrics. Instead of being cemented to the insole proper, cover and backing may be stitched thereto.

If no feather edge at all is desired, the edges of the insole proper may be rabbeted to form a ledge containing the bottom of the insole proper. Or the front part of the insole may be thus rabbeted while the shank portion is split by channelling, whereby a feather edge is provided for said shank portion but not for said front portion.

However embodied, the principles of this invention comprise broadly a laminated insole having a depending marginal lip formed jointly by the whole marginal thickness of one lamination and by a fraction of the marginal thickness of another lamination, in particular, the bottom layer thereof. This invention further comprises a method of fashioning insoles comprising the steps of marginally incising an insole proper to separate layers thereof, covering said insole proper, turning back the separated bottom layer, folding overhanging marginal portions of said cover onto said turned back bottom layer and attaching the same thereto, to form a composite depending marginal lip. This invention also comprises shoes constructed with the novel insoles described hereinabove as well as methods of constructing such shoes.

As pointed out, various details of the processes and articles disclosed herein may be varied ihroughawide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A method of constructing an insole comprising preparing an insole proper of leather, attaching to the lower broad face thereof a fabric backing extending to the edges of said insole proper, marginallysplitting said insole proper to form a feather and a lip, turning back said lip together with thereto attached marginal portions of said backing, removing said feather exclusively from the front portion of said insole proper, attaching tothe upper broad face of said insole proper a leather cover wide enough to overhang .the edges of said insole proper, folding the overhanging marginal portions of said cover over the edges of said insole proper into contact with said turned back lip and attaching thus folded marginal portions of said cover to said turned back lip, to form, jointly with the latter and with the marginal portions of said backing, a laminated depending marginal lip.

2. A method of constructing an insole comprising preparing a thin insole proper of leather, cementing to the lower broad face thereof a duck backing extending to the edges of said insole proper, channelling the edge faces of said insole proper to split the same into a marginal feather and a marginal lip, turning back said lip together with thereto attached marginal portions of said backing, removing said feather from the front part only of said insole proper, cementing to the upper broad face of said insole proper a leather cover wide enough to overhang the edges of said insole proper, folding the overhanging marginal portions of said cover over the edges of said insol proper into contact with said turned back lip and cementing thus folded marginal portions of said cover to said turned back lips, to form, jointly with the latter and with the marginal portions of said backing, a laminated depending marginal lip.

3. An insole comprising an insole proper of leather feathered solely in the shank part and having a marginal lip depending from the shank and forepart, a fabric backing cemented to the inside of said lip and a leather cover having marginal portions enfolding said feather and cemented to the outside of said lip, to form, jointly with the latter and with said backing, a depending marginal rib.

4. An insole comprising in insole proper feathered exclusively in the shank part and having a depending marginal lip, a backing covering said lip, and a cover having marginal portions enfolding said feather and covering said lip, to form, jointly with the latter and with said backing, a depending marginal rib.

5. An insole comprising an insole proper feathered exclusively in the shank part and having a depending marginal lip, and a backing covering said lip to form, jointly with the latter, a depending marginal rib.

6. An insole comprising an insole proper feathered exclusively in the shank part and having a depending marginal lip, and a cover enfolding said feather and covering said lip to form, jointly with the latter, a depending marginal rib.

7. A method of constructing an insole, comprising preparing an insole proper, disposing a backing on one face of said insole, channeling said insole to form a feather and a marginal lip, turning back said lip, removing said feather from the forepart but not from the shank of said insole, disposing on the other face of said insole a cover wide enough to overhang the edges of said insole proper, and folding the overhanging marginal portion of said cover over the edges of said insole proper into contact with said turned back lip to form, jointly with the latter and with said backing, a depending marginal rib.

8. A method of constructing an insole, comprising preparing an insole proper, attaching a backing to one face of said insole, channelling said insole to form a feather and a marginal lip, turning back said lip, and removing said feather from the forepart but not from the shank of said insole.

9. A method of constructing an insole, comprising preparing an insole proper, channelling said insole to form a feather and a marginal lip, turning back said lip, removing said feather from the forepart but not from the shank of said insole, attaching on that face of said insole opposed to said lip a cover wide enough to overhang the edges of said insole, and folding the overhanging marginal portions of said cover over the edges of said insole proper into contact with said turned back lip.

JOHN JOSEPH WHITE. HAROLD M. FLORSI-IEIM. 

